Fantastic!! I could not put this book down. The characters were well written, there was humor, there was seriousness, there was a little bit of everything. The underlying messages were so good, for any reader. The author followed some conventions of the genre, but also stepped outside the box and made it her own. It was nice to not feel like I was re-reading something, the story was unique. Just all around excellent.

5/5 Stars
The Bodyguard by @katherinecenter

I’ve read all of Katherine’s books and every time I read one I think “this is my new favorite” but really… this one might be it for sure.

Hannah Brooks is a Bodyguard. She’s just been dumped by her turd of a boyfriend and “grounded” by work because of the recent death of her mother. A high-profile assignment comes her way as she’s tasked with guarding an a-list celebrity … Jack Stapleton.

About 3/4 of the way through this book (which I read over the last 5 hours without stopping.. sorry family) I almost pulled out my phone to send a message to Katherine asking her WHY she could do such a thing - as I was SO mad. But thankfully stuck through it and was on the edge of my seat until the story wrapped up.

Now, while I hope this review makes you want to go right out and grab this book, unfortunately that’s not possible. It comes out in July. BUT I will say this is definitely pre-order worthy and a top-notch read.

Thanks to @katherinecenter and @netgalley for the advance copy. So grateful to have the opportunity to read - and love - this beautifully told story ❤️

I loved the strong female lead and Katherine’s ability to break stereotypes through her. While there was some predictability to the plot, I was okay with that. Why? I believe Katherine did a terrific job on making well-rounded characters and a cohesive plot. Out in July 2022, The Bodyguard is a must read for ALL romance lovers.

I just finished The Bodyguard, and this book will be on my mind for a while!

📝 Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent, aka bodyguard, 💪 who's hired to protect superstar actor, Jack Stapleton. He's been in hiding since a family tragedy, but circumstances require him to head back home to his family's ranch. 🚜 Hannah "pretends" to be Jack's girlfriend at his request. This allows Hannah to keep her identity a secret from his family. What could go wrong with this fake arrangement?

What I 🤍:
🧳 Characters with Baggage
💋 Best First Kiss
🚜 Beautiful Farm Setting
🐄 Hilarious Cow Scene

This book was refreshing to read because it's so different than other romance stories. While it was a fake dating troupe, 💕 it still had so many layers that added to the depth of the story. First off, Hannah is depicted as the tough, protective role, and Jack is the sweet one. Also, there's a layer of thrill, and for me, it really made the ending. Their love story killed me (in all the best possible ways). If slow burn was written in the dictionary, this book would be the definition. ✍️

Hannah's inner dialogue thinking 💭 also added to the story, although it was often confusing. Sometimes these parts felt as if she was talking to the reader. Then, at other times, it's like she was talking to herself. I would have appreciated the intended audience in these parts to remain consistent. Another solution would have been to make these parts mini chapters, so it was a bit clearer before jumping right back into the action.💥 One other thing I noticed was a typo on Location 3396. It said, "He doesn't get to lie you."

I adored the author's dedication. I assumed the Stapleton family ranch 🚜 is based on her grandparent's farm. It was written so well that I want to pack my bags and head to this ranch in Texas. 🤍 I also appreciated how she depicted characters going through grief in a variety of ways. It added an emotional punch, while still keeping the overall feel of the book as warm.

Prince's Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steaminess: 🔥🔥(Closed Door Scene)

Huge thank you to @stmartinspress & @netgalley for a copy of this book. 🤍

🌟The Bodyguard comes out July 19!🌟

Fake relationship, check. Handsome sweet actor, check. Delicious slow burn, check, check, check!

Hannah Brooks is a Bodyguard who is assigned to protect an actor Jack Stapleton. To keep her identity under wraps they pretend to be in a fake relationship. Is this all an act or will they develop feelings?

This is my first Katherine Cater but definitely will not be my last. I highlighted so many things in this book. It was funny, heartbreaking, and heartfelt. I feel in love with Jack and his family. One I finish I had to go back and reread, it was that good! I also read a few chapters twice while reading because I was falling in love with these characters.

Hannah was definitely giving me Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality vibes in the beginning of this.

It’s a great rom-com and I definitely recommend it!

Also it needs to be said the Robby is a douchecanoe, and needs to be punished in the face. That is all. ☺️

Melli’s Book Breakdown
🤍clean romance
🤍bodyguard romance
🤍rom-com
🤍Fake Dating
🤍Actor Romance
🤍Heroine POV only
🤍Family tension

<i>Thank you to St. Martin's press and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

It really did start off strong aside from the annoying moments from the MC. I get it - it's OK to not like aspects of your job, but to keep complaining and complaining and complaining? I was over her. I enjoyed the relationship and I liked seeing the two MC start to trust each other and open up. It was fast paced and I consumed the first half real quick. I even shed some tears and laughed out loud!

Then the last 10% and epilogue happened...<spoiler> I guess i can believe the stalker situation and the fact that he held Jack "hostage" but it all seemed very....cringe. and the epilogue? Oooooof. I was in a highchair, bibs everywhere being spoon fed. everything squeaky clean. Everything told, not shown. I could have done without the paragraphs talking about her coworkers. The did-i-tell-yous and of-course-nots. the "oh-right-here's-another-thing. It added nothing</spoiler>

Katherine Center’s new book The Bodyguard doesn’t disappoint. I am a huge fan of Center and I was really looking forward to her new book and it wasn’t what I was expecting. It was lighthearted for the most part and had me laughing throughout. I was also cheering for the couple to end up together which is rare for me with Ron-cons but I really liked both Jack and Hannah.
Hannah works for an executive protection company charged with protected top executives and vips internationally. But when her mother dies, her boyfriend betrays her, she’s left questioning her life and needing the escape and safety of her job quaking her away. Instead she is tasked with staying out and being the bodyguard of movie star and people magazines sexist man alive, Jack Singleton. Can Hannah protect Jack and not loose her heart in the process?
I devoured this book in one day and would highly recommend it.
I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

First things first, I loved this book! The main character, Hannah, works as a bodyguard. She's having a tough time as her mother dies and her boyfriend dumps her the next day. Her next assignment is as a bodyguard for a movie star. It all doesn't go according to her plan and the end result are likeable characters, an entertaining, feel good plot, and positive life messages. I highly recommend!

A delightful forced-proximity romance with lots to make you chuckle along the way. This book was the perfect companion for a vacation (but maybe a beach somewhere instead of Toledo).

I absolutely loved this one! I love Katherine Center’s novels. The was one of the best. Such a wonderful storyline. I love that each of her books features such a strong woman as the main character. I highly recommend this novel!

I always find Katherine Center's books to be absorbing feel-good breaks from reality, and this was no exception. While the arc of the story was predictable (as it should be for this type of book!), I really did enjoy the twists and turns it took to get there. I especially liked the scenes that included Connie and Doc. Their characters radiated such warmth, and it was clear why Hannah was so drawn not just to Jack - the famous and unfairly handsome movie star she's been tasked with protecting - but also to his family.

That said, I felt the development of Taylor's character was a bit unbelievable. To have her first betray Hannah and so easily and completely dismiss her ("We were work friends, we were never best friends, and your problem is that you don't know the difference"), then spend the rest of the story going to great lengths to apologize and rebuild their relationship, didn't quite make sense to me. Luckily, their relationship wasn't the focus of the book so this didn't have too much of an impact.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

“𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.”

𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: hannah works as a bodyguard for a protective service agency that has been hired to protect famous actor jack stapleton.

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: i’m going to start off by saying that i did like this book. i really liked how unique and special hannah’s character was. i think she’s someone that most people could relate to in terms of things that she’s struggling with internally and i also thought she was a complete badass doing what she does! i also loved jack & hannahs interactions with one another. they really were so funny together & i loved that about them!

however, i personally feel there might have been too much unrealistic stuff going that it was a little too far fetched. i also think there was just so much other small stuff also taking place that there wasn’t enough focus on hannah and jack - it felt like their relationship got lost at times. i would have killed for Jacks POV in this one 😭

overall, i laughed a lot reading this book & it was unique. it just wasn’t a favorite for me especially after how much i loved things you save in a fire!

special thanks to netgalley, st.martin’s press & katherine center for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

An enjoyable read! I found it light hearted, funny and cute. It is predictable but all these type books usually are. It’s a perfect beach read! Characters are great. The book is well written. Just enough romance, cuteness and a little mystery thrown in. I rate it 3.5 stars!

Another fun, heart-warming adventure from Katherine Center. She has definitely become an automatic read author for me, no questions asked.
So did I know what this was about before I read it? Nope!
This story contains everything you need- the heroine that needs to find herself, the ‘is this love’ story line and some great side characters. Definitely check this one out!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for opportunity to read this early in exchange for my honest opinion.

5 stars for Katherine Center’s latest, THE BODYGUARD 🎉

I need to start with a quick plot overview because it’s a really unique story (swipe for full synopsis). Hannah Brooks is THE BODYGUARD. At 5’5” and with no brawn, she’s not your typical bodyguard (she’s better!). After being dumped by her boyfriend on the night of her mother’s funeral, she’s assigned to protect Jack Stapleton, A-list Hollywood celeb (and star of The Unhoneymooners movie 👀). Banter and friendship and falling in love ensue.

Why I loved it:
🧡 Both Jack and Hannah are delightful from page one. I’m actually sad to finish this book because I love spending time with them! I don’t have anyone in mind for Hannah, but Andrew Garfield IS Jack (at least in my head)!

🧡 The story itself is quite unique. Admittedly, the plot relies on a few run-of-the-mill romance tropes, including forced proximity and fake dating, but it works! They’re well executed and not overly trope-y or cliche (maybe because the overarching storyline is so fresh).

🧡 Hannah’s inner voice really ~makes~ the book. She’s hilarious and strong, but also open and vulnerable. It’s like chatting with your best friend - delightful, entertaining, relatable, and “cup filling”. I love her repeated (and often failed) attempts at nonchalance and her frequent direct asides.

This is a book I know I’m going to recommend to people all the time and will probably re-read myself soon! Thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Katherine Center for the gifted copy.

Katherine Center does it again!!!! Thank you NetGalley for a free arc of The Bodyguard! I throughly enjoyed this rom com. Hannah and Jack are hilarious characters. I love the premise of the whole bodyguard - fake dating trope. I can’t wait to see what Katherine comes up with next!

To be able to read the latest Katherine Center ahead of publication was a real treat. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

The story quickly absorbed me, to the point where it ended my reading drought. I finished it in three days.

Hannah and Jack's relationship is definitely out of the ordinary and yet is sweet. Stereotypes are turned on their side when Hannah is introduced as the "bodyguard" for Jack. They are both initially hesitant about the arrangement, but soon embrace it (as well as each other). :)

They both have inner wounds that need healing and as readers, we are let into their worlds.

LOVED: fake dating, "found" family, imperfect protagonists, stereotypes upended, closed door romance.

My only small, small criticism is not even a criticism if you like "thrillers," but the "scarier" moments in the novel were not my favorites. Despite those, I still loved the book and would recommend it to others.

As an avid romantic comedy enthusiast, I have read my share of romcoms. However, the true gems (I’m looking at Sophie Kinsella books!) are few and far between. They have to catch my interest from the get go, have endearing and relatable characters, a plot that is intricately and beautiful woven, and lots and lots of laughs! This one hit the mark :)

When it comes to a romantic comedy book, we need a sprinkle of several things. We need comedic relief. Check. We need imperfections in our characters. Check. We need conflict. Check. But, the true test is not in the details of the book but whether I, the reader, disappear in the book and my family begs me to come up for air. That is what Katherine Center did for me with her latest book. It is predictable but in a way that this type of book should be. I devoured the story. I started and barely put it down until the end. Dear fellow readers, if you want the light read that leaves you feeling joyful, please let me introduce to Hannah and Jack. The pair that culture says was not to be.

I give this books weak 4 ⭐️. There were so many things I loved. The characters were great and the writing was great. This was a super quick read and I couldn’t put it down. There was very minimal bad language and it was also a closed door romance. It was sweet, funny, heart warming and even sad at times. Honestly the only thing I didn’t like was that the storyline was a bit far fetched, overly dramatic at times and cheesy. Some of that was hard to overlook.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC.